On Thursday, 29th August, the Kerala Police registered a case of rape against actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA M Mukesh following a complaint from a fellow female actor. The incident allegedly took place in 2013. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was established by the Kerala government to look into sexual assault charges related to Malayalam Film Industry, recorded the actress’s testimony at her Aluva flat on 28th August.
The case was registered by the Marad police. He is booked for rape and “use of criminal force against women with intent to outrage her modesty” among other non-bailable offences.
The development transpired in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report which highlighted the sexual assault and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry. The actor-turned-politician, who is a two-time legislator from the Kollam Assembly seat, has refrained from attending public events and responding to any comments since the scandal broke out and shook the entire film industry. However, he demanded an impartial investigation into the accusations made against him and other film personalities in a Facebook post on 27th August.
“They had tried to blackmail me by demanding money. I am not ready to yield to such blackmail tactics. Truth should come out. I would initiate strong legal action against such persons,” Mukesh claimed while reacting to the allegations against him. Sections 376(1) which addresses rape, 452 (house trespass with the intent to hurt or assault someone), 509 (intend to insult a woman’s modesty by using words, gestures, or acts) and 354 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code are the charges included in the case against Mukesh.
The opposition and some of Mukesh’s own party members are putting pressure on him to resign which has further escalated the matter. Annie Raja, the general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) and a leader of the CPI, called for the actor’s resignation, emphasising that Mukesh is no longer morally qualified to serve as an MLA. “Now with a case being registered against him, he no longer has the moral or legal standing to continue in that post. He should resign from his post as MLA. It will also affect the image of the state government. The Left Front is pro-women,” Annie Raja said.
Ministers from the CPM and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration, however, have insisted that no action will be taken based just on the charges, but rather on the investigation’s findings. According to a close aide of Mukesh, the party has not asked him to vacate his position. Mukesh reportedly met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, on 29th August, LDF chairperson E P Jayarajan asked two Congressmen who were accused of sexual violation to step down in response to the call for Mukesh’s resignation. “Had they resigned, then the third MLA (Mukesh) too would have to resign. The law applies equally to all legislators. By asking for Mukesh’s resignation, you are protecting the other two,” he alleged.
The Hema Committee report, which exposed startling information regarding the pervasive sexual abuse against women in Malayalam cinema, was released a few days prior to the claims made against the seasoned actor. The actress, who accused Mukesh of sexually abusing her, revealed that he had attacked her in a Kochi hotel while promising to offer her acting roles. The actress added that Mukesh had raped her after forcing his way into her hotel room.
The police have also charged four more actors including Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Edavela Babu, in relation to the same actress’ accusations. “I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu, Jayasurya, Advocate Chandrasekharan, production controller Noble and Vichu,” she disclosed and further narrated, “Once, as I was coming out from the toilet, Jayasurya hugged me from behind and even kissed me forcefully. After that, Idavela Babu expressed his interest in a sexual relationship with me.”
The actress said that the sexual and physical abuse had caused her to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai.
The cantonment police have opened a case against famous actor Jayasurya on allegations about him violating the woman’s modesty. Moreover, film production controller Noble, and leader of the pro-Congress lawyers association, V S Chandrasekharan has also been accused of sexual assault. All five of the accused were included in the seven names that the actress included in the numerous petitions that she filed with the SIT led by DIG Ajeetha Begum, to probe the cases of sexual harassment on 27th August.
Notably, the authorities also filed cases against veteran actor Siddique and director Ranjith after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour emerged against them. An actress who accused Siddique shared that he summoned her to his room at the Mascot Hotel, where he sexually assaulted her in the name of a film discussion. “He sexually abused me in that hotel. It was a trap. Whatever he is saying now is completely false,” she added.
The First Information Report was filed under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at Thiruvananthapuram city police limits. Siddique also lodged a complaint with the Director General of Police (DGP), alleging that the accusations were a vile attempt to damage his reputation. He claimed to be innocent and asserted that he had only ever met the actress once in 2016 when her parents were present.
“The reputation of the entire Malayalam film industry is being deliberately tarnished by a group of people and it is essential that the persons behind this criminal conspiracy are brought to light. I request you to take effective action in this matter to bring out the truth and the perpetrators behind the criminal conspiracy of fabricating and publishing false and scandalous allegations,” Siddique further charged.
Ranjith had been forced to resign as chairman of the state organization Kerala Chalachitra Academy, while Siddique had been forced to resign as general secretary of the actors’ organization Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). The Association of Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA) also resigned on 27th August along with its president popular actor Mohanlal, and the other 17 members of the executive committee including Siddique and Edavela Babu. Seventeen cases have been filed against Malayalam actors and directors after a number of women came forward with allegations following the publication of the Hema Committee report.
